Bullet Journal: For Productivity or Show?

As I was reading posts and comments on one of my favorite Facebook bullet journal groups today, I see that many people are intimidated by others’ fancy spreads! They want to get started with their own bullet journal but they don’t know how or where to start. So they join groups and check out Pinterest(don’t do it…it’s a trap!) and Instagram(yep…another trap!) to get inspiration. Unfortunately, this leads to them immediately thinking “I can’t start a bullet journal, I’m not that artistic.”

LISTEN…

I fell into that trap! In the beginning I saw all the different collections, headers, doodles, etc. and I thought I had to do it all! And I tried to do it all. And then I got burnt out! I was trying to force myself to decorate the way I had seen others do and create collections that I didn’t necessarily need. All to have something to photograph and put on Instagram or share in the Facebook groups! (True story!)

STOP…

We all have different styles. Some are more artistically inclined than others. And that’s ok. I believe that a lot of people who say the bullet journal didn’t work for them were just overwhelmed by all the things they thought they HAD to include in it! (And let me just say that the bullet journal system is NOT everyone’s cup of tea!) The purpose of the bullet journal is to help you organize your life and get things done. If you don’t need a collection dedicated to the books you read or tv shows you watch, don’t include it! If you don’t need to keep track of how much water you drink or how many times a week you wash the dishes(because we all wash dishes daily, right?!) don’t track it.

BE YOURSELF…

Your bullet journal should be a reflection of you and your lifestyle. If you like to be minimal, reflect that in your bullet journal. If you like to express yourself through art, reflect that in your bullet journal. Whether you want to track all the habits or none, just make sure to be true to you! Doing what works best for you and not comparing your bullet journal method to the next person’s can save you many stressful days! Who needs added stress these days?! (Certainly not me!)

GO…

Now go start your bullet journal! If you’ve already started and feel like yours is not as pretty as everyone else’s and you should just not even try, STOP! Ask yourself is it helping you be more productive and document your story. If the answer is yes, then don’t worry about whether or not it’s pretty enough. Just get things done and check them off! And you can bullet journal in whatever suits your fancy: a single notebook, traveler’s notebook, cheap graph composition notebook, expensive dot grid notebook…whatever! Over time your bullet journal will evolve and adapt to fit your needs! And to me, that’s the beauty of the whole system!

Are you stressing about your bullet journal due to comparison? You may find it easier to go to the original bullet journal blog and take a look at the basic bullet journal method and start there!